House Appropriators to Take Up Fiscal 2016 Transportation Funding Bill May 13
House appropriators on May 13 will take up a fiscal 2016 funding bill that includes a 34-hour restart provision that adds new requirements on the study Congress ordered last year.
The provision states that before the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's 34-hour restart rule is reinstated, the study must address whether the rule has safety benefits and is better for drivers in terms of fatigue, health, longevity and work schedules. The agency contracted researchers at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, and they have begun work on the study.
Republicans in control of the Appropriations Committee are expected to push back efforts to undo the HOS provision in the bill. Several provisions in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill are strongly opposed by most Democrats on the committee. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx also criticized the legislation, saying it “challenges” important safety protections without the benefit of public hearings.
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Overall, the legislation would provide $572 million for FMCSA, which oversees the trucking industry. It would provide $40.25 billion in formula highway spending for the Highway Trust Fund, matching the 2015 level. That funding would be contingent on adoption of a transportation policy bill that would update the programs in MAP-21, the 2012 highway law which expires May 31.
The bill also would allow 33-foot double trailers on the Interstate Highway System and other highways, regardless of whether states want them. Twenty-eight-foot trailers are allowed on the interstate system.
Senate funding leaders have yet to schedule a markup hearing on the version of their bill. The May 13 hearing is at 10:15 a.m. in Room 2359 at the Rayburn House Office Building.
